Can heart medicines affect my oral care?

Some heart medications might cause dry mouth as a side effect, including high blood pressure medications, particularly diuretics. Dry mouth could lead to more mouth infections.

Another class of blood pressure medications, called the calcium channel blockers, could cause an overgrowth of gum tissue. You might notice this about a month after you start taking the drug on a daily basis. Gum overgrowth can affect chewing. Sometimes the excess gum tissue may need to be removed with surgery by a dentist or periodontist.